Not sure what I want to do when I grow up...
 

After spending a few months working in a Pharmacy I'm just not sure what I want to do with my life.... I could do it but I would be miserable after a while I'm almost certain...

I love the outdoors, I'm very mechanical, I enjoy sitting learning how things work, I can work my way through most things on a computer, I've yet to find a fix on the Porsche I couldn't handle. I'm analytical to a fault.... I've over analyzed relationships until they crumbled. I lay awake at night and go over things in my head....


Oh and I'm coming to hate chemistry....


Plz.... No flaming... if you feel the need to call me a wuss and say I'm a quitter just don't post....


I'm looking for career field suggestions... Throw 'em out there....



(edit).... Thought I should add that I'm an autocross fanatic....

Sid, I'm thinking some area of the engineering field from what you've said.

Check out this book (or one like it):
Amazon.com: Now What?: The Young Person's Guide to Choosing the Perfect Career…

I've done a mixture of different jobs from construction, to computer support, to engineering...mutliple location and companies. I've enjoyed some aspects of every single job, and I've hated some aspects as well. What I've come to figure out though, is that it's normally the people you work with that makes the job. So when job hunting, trying to make sure you fit the culture of the people already working there. It'll help tremendously in your job enjoyment...whatever you pick.

Ya... I love my coworkers at the Pharmacy I am in... Its just dealing with the customers and the doctors.... Not sure I want to spend the rest of my life doing that....

Take your time before you make any career-ending decision. At the same time, it's better to find this stuff out now, than in 4 or 5 years.

Yes... I'd hate to spend 4-5yrs suffering through pharm school and then decide I want to do something totally different....

I'm not dropping out of classes or anything... Just looking...

If you do anything with computers, make sure you aren't Tier 1 then.

If I dealt with computers I would want to stay away from the public at large....

Check with the counseling center at school. They often have resources that you can use.

Welcome to the Self-Directed Search...the world's most widely used career interest inventory!

I took this once at a head hunter. It was interesting. You get a few scores. I was told that the highest score is what you should be doing as a job and your second highest score was often a hobby.

My highest score said that I should be in computers or engineering, in my field I've sort of combined the two things.

My second highest score said that I like to work with my hands making things or repairing things. I do enjoy working on cars, building things around the house, etc...

For me it was pretty right on.

Fixed it for you. ;)

:D

Yeah, anything even remotely retail, I couldn't do it. I've done several gen pub facing jobs, auto parts store, bartender, Tier 1 tech support (foot in the door job). I learned that I don't much like the general public.

On the people thing... I have heard people tell my boss how personable I am... I try to always smile and be as helpful and friendly as possible... Making a point to learn customers names and to call them by name... I'm not saying that I'm not a people person... I just don't love dealing with the public...

Oh and add Eagle Scout to my list... That is what has driven a lot of my love for the outdoors....

I'm 35 years old and I still don't know what I want to be when I grow up. :D

The schooling for engineers is pretty brutal (I'm not an engineer, but all 4 years of undergrad I had engineer roommates). And there are plenty of disillusioned professional engineers who are just as unhappy with their career choices as you might be with pharm. But if your passion is there, somebody's got to build the cars and racecars of the world.

One of your greatest assets right now is your youth.

Sid,
Lots of people find themselves in the same situation you're in at the same age you are now, so don't feel strange about it. Very few people fall into the perfect career for themselves and love it for the rest of their lives. Now days it seems to me like there should be an online website where you can plug in the things you like and get a list of likely careers, so maybe a search would be at least entertaining. Have you paid a visit to the counseling center at school? Also, maybe there are other areas of pharmacy that would meet some of your requirements. I dealt with the public about all of my working life and was good at it. Some of it I enjoyed, some of it I didn't. I figured it's like anything else, there are parts that are better and some that are worse. I tend to agree with Heel n Toe (John R.) about the engineering field as a possibility. You still have time to try out some majors to see how they fit. Lots of people do that. Also, lots of people go through life wondering what they'd like to do when they grow up (Hell, I'm in my late 60's and retired and I still don't know what I want to do when I grow up). For some a good strategy is to get into a field that generally fits and look around for related jobs that lead you in a direction more to your interests. Good luck - you seem like a pretty on the ball young guy.

Lol, I thought I was alone in that....


Sid, it's good to think about that stuff now, but there's no need to worry.
You're still plenty young, you're mind may change another two times... don't sweat it.
Are there any other career possibilites with the chem degree you're studying for now?? Or is your only option working at the chemists??

Technical studies are a complete u-turn away from where you're now, you'll have to start over again. (which is not dramatic but maybe not necessary)

And just remember, whatever you do, there will be days that you'll be fed up with it...

I'm not studying for a chem degree... I'm completing pre-reqs to apply for a Pharmacy professional level program.... When I get all the reqs done... Just a little over a semester to go... I will apply for Pharmacy school... Once I am in the program its 4 more years of school... 18-20hrs/ semester

Same here - I've no idea what I want to do when I grow up.

As mentioned above engineering is good. And I don't mean handy with a welder, I mean a degree or post grad qualification in engineering. A place where I worked (Industrial Research Ltd) there was a chickie who sat around on one of the cutiest butts I've seen in a long time, anway stop visualising her butt and listen to the story. She sat around getting paid a LOT OF MONEY because she had a phd in engineering to do with metallurgy and gas cylinders that had blown up in industrial accidents would come in and she would say why they blew up. No one around had more qualifications than her so her word was law. Such a good butt.

the best thing about studying engineering..for the most part, the first two years are pretty much the exact same classes for every engineering school. you can take your time, at least two years before you decide on a direction.

sid, there are two schools of thought. one, you get a job that defines you. two, you get a job that doesnt make you puke, and do fun stuff on the side that defines you. the older you get, the less and less you get to be part of that decision. i exaggerate, but..you know.

at my hospital, and the pharm chicks are cuties.. and that never sucks.

Hey Sidney,
I hate to say it but the odds are you will get dreadfully sick of any career after a certain period of time. In my case I just turned 40 and have been an editor/visual effects artist since I was 19. While I love the challenges of my job, not to mention the income level, I am getting tired of it. I think it's simply doing "something" for 20 years that begins to wear on a person. You get to know the ebbs and flows of your industry so well it ceases to be interesting. This feeling has led me back to school, taking a smattering of classes at a local community college that fit in with my work schedule so I too can discover what I want to do next. There is a book I read recently: Amazon.com: Shop Class as Soulcraft: An Inquiry into the Value of… that has given me some thought into doing something more visceral but I'm not quite sure something like that is right for me. In the meantime visual effects is starting to get a little more exciting again. 3d film making is like the wild west and nobody really knows what their doing (don't tell Michael Bay I said that! :p ). In ten years who knows, maybe I'll open up a motorcycle repair shop like the author of that book, at least I will keep it interesting!

Good luck,
Michael

I have often thought the same thing. Love being outdoors, working on cars, etc. Problem is, I never figured out how to make a living doing that.
I read something recently that the idea of "find the job you love and do that" is really a crock. The reality is that most of us slog away doing jobs that are less than ideal but that is part of being an adult. Just not too many opportunities like that guy that got hired to oversee that Island in Australia. To be honest being a Pharmacist isn't a bad deal. Decent hours, interacting with other people, helping people, and a good salary. My brother in law is a pharmacist, runs his own business and does very well. That gives him the time and $$$ to do the things he loves which is playing (a lot) of golf.
Sounds to me like you have your head on straight, and are having the same questions that many of us to. Sadly, there just aren't that many opportunities to care for and exercise Jay Leno's car collection.
Personally, I have been in the Army for almost 30 years. I have loved many aspects of it- working outdoors a lot, working on mechanical stuff (pulling howitzer powerpacks in the mud), and such. But it isn't for everyone:)
Good luck!

love outdoors might mean a biology or geology degree and then a job with a state wildlife (fish & game) agency - be warned that a BS in Biology requires 2 years - years, not semesters - of Chemistry & only qualifies you to dig ditches - need an MS for a decent job; need a PhD for a job with the feds - USFWS

outdoors + mech'ly inclined.... hmm; let me think about that one

whoa.. all your sentences are "I..." which is typical for generation X. I don't mean to offend but to inform that all the questions you have are normal for a young person like you.

Don't feel trapped, think that no matter what you do there is nothing that will make you 100%. Part of life is to compromise. That phase seems never ending but when you find the one and have kids, etc. you realize how easy all that was and you'll enjoy your life as-is cause you won't be able to change a damn thing. ;)

One of the most difficult things to do is set life goals, and then stick to them. Basing your career goals on what you like to do is not good. Every job eventually becomes drudgery and is especially disheartening when the thing you love to do becomes something you don't want to do any more. It is a lot better to find what your talents are and exploit them to reach your life goals. You will be a lot happier as you reach your goals instead of trying to be happy in a specific job.

Sound advice above...

Sydney, it's good that you are thinking about this now...before you have others depending on you. No career suggestions...just wishing you well, and good luck.

Sounds like just a funk. I'd stay with pharmacy for the time being. If you still feel the same way in a year or two, consider changing.

Pharmacy is one of the few areas I see stability and growth in a good-paying profession in the coming years. I would not recommend engineering to be honest - I know way, way too many engineers that are out of work right now. The opportunities for engineering are directly tied to technological development which is directly tied to the economy and to manufacturing, both of which are going to be poor prospects for a while. And if you feel this way about pharmacy, you'll probably feel the same about engineering once you've been in it for a while...

Make the most of what you've got. Seriously that'd be my advice. It is very, very expensive to go changing career paths in the pursuit of something that doesn't exist (i.e. the "perfect job"). Look for the things that you enjoy and which brought you to the field you're in and try to focus on those. There's B.S. and stupid people to deal with in any career - it's inescapable but you don't have to focus/dwell on that.

I think the idea of a job you love is just a myth, like leprechauns, unicorns, and Eskimos. Pharmacy is going to be a stable and well paying field for a long time. I would work on dealing with the aspects you don't like, and use your stability and money to do the things you do like in your free time.

Sid, I don’t know anyone that said as a teenager “I want to be a (fill in the blank) for a living” and is now doing that many years later. Almost every job becomes just a way to make a paycheck.

The man that started this company loved to fly and take pictures. In his own words he took “early retirement at age 92” because no insurance company will write insurance for a 90 year old man to fly the airplane and take pictures. He was doing that at age 89 and still enjoyed it. He is 95 now and still drops by and tells great stories. He still misses the job.

I know many pilots that now hate to fly and they only do it for the paycheck. To find a job you really love and that pays good is rare. Good luck on deciding what you want to do. Whatever you do don’t lock yourself into a job that you hate. No paycheck is worth that.

1. I have tons of buddies who graduated with engineering degrees. Very few are actually working as engineers. Either they didn't like it, or had a hard time getting a job. ...which led them to IT or some other field. The ones that are doing it, ended up going to grad school and specializing.

2. Whatever you do, don't become a pilot....unless the military pays you to do it.

I'd stick out the Pharmacy thing for a little while longer. Any job worth having is not going to be easy. I know a lot of Purdue Pharmacy grads who are not even traditional Pharmacists...they've got cool research jobs working with Eli Lilly, etc.

I know many pilots that now hate to fly and they only do it for the paycheck

Most spot-on quote. I don't know a single guy who loves flying for the airline. All of the guys wish they did something else that allowed them to by a Cub or Pitts on the weekends. ...and fly for fun.

Stay the hell away from the telephone companys. stay the hell away from anything the telco's touch.

Also, Look both ways before you cross the street.

Kyle

Astronaut. Secret agent. Race car driver. Victoria's Secret store manager.

Endurance race car driver...


KT

That was going to have money flowing the wrong direction....

In college I had to decide between computer science and geology. I love the outdoors, so I picked geology and am glad I did. I would hate to have a job that kept me indoors full time. Try taking a geology class.

Love geology. It really opens up a lot of doors. Just stay away from the enviromental side of it. Not a lot of jobs down this way.

An oldie but true...If work was fun, people would be paying to do it!

I respectfully disagree--my health insurance co. is pushing HARD to get me (and my family) on a "prescription by mail" service. They've told me my out-of-pocket costs will go up if I don't bow to their will. How many pharmacists will lose their jobs as this sort of forced consolidation increases?

In addition to this--leaving ALL politics aside--I have to wonder what the recently passed healthcare legislation will really do to the pharma industry?

Yes, there are a lot of engineers out of work right now. But I find it difficult to believe that this is anything other than a few years' blip. A solid technical education will never be a bad thing to have.

I'd love to be on a RX by mail. It drives me nuts to have to reorder and stand in line at the pharmacy every 30 days for a Rx I've taken for 20 years and will take for the rest of my life. My insurance won't pay for more than a 30 day supply. Stupid.

BTW, just from the customer window, being a retail pharmacist seems dull, rote and mechanical. Receive Rx, fill bottle, file claim, hand over bottle and collect deductible, computer flags drug interactions, give customer 10 second boilerplate talk, next customer please, working every single day in the same 600 sq ft windowless space. I don't really understand why the job requires multiple years' education. It actually seems like it could be done by an ATM-like machine. Sorry, I don't mean to disrespect pharmacists, perhaps I'm not aware of all the exciting things that go on back there.

John I bet you go to Walgreens, CVS, or somewhere similar don't you?


The place I am working in now is much smaller... The pharmacist is the sole owner of the store... We are much lower volume than the chain stores.... We have quite a bit of interaction with our customers. Were the schooling comes in is when a customer asks a question about the meds.

Maybe so... Got any tips for getting out of it? I'm taking Organic Chemistry right now. I've got like 0 motivation at the moment. Makes studying a beeotch...